Fashioning device for straight-knitting machines.



G. H. USHER.

FASEIONING DEVICE FOR STRAIGHT KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 25, 190B.

Patented July 13, 1909.

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APPLICATION FILED MAR. 25, 1908.

Patented July 13, 1909.

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APPLICATION FILED MAR. 25, 1908.

Patented July 13, 1909.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. USHER, OF CHICOPEE FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO LAMB KNITTING MACHINE COMPANY, OF OHICOPEE FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION.

FA SHION IN G DEVICE FOR STRAIGHT-KNITTING MACHINE S.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 13, 1909.

Application filed March 25, 1908. Serial No. 423,249.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES H. USHER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Ohicopee Falls, in the county of llampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fashioning Devices for Straight-Knitting ltlachines, of which the following is a speciiication.

il'iy present invention relates to improvements in knitting machines and particularly to improvements therein whereby an automatic widening of the fabric is eifected dur ing the knitting operation.

The invention relates particularly to improvements in this class of machines known as the Lamb knitting machine.

Broadly stated, the invention consists in providing needle operating mechanisms whereby said needles will, during the opera tion of the machine, be brought into knitting position by means of said mechanisms in order that they may be pushed into operative position so that the needle-operating cams on the underside of the reciprocating carriage will etlcct the knitting in the usual manner.

The invention further consists in means for automatically operating the widening mechanism in a step-by-step manner; and, further, in providing means which will permit the use of the ordinary needle.

in the drawings forming part of this application,ligure 1 is a plan view of the machine showing my improvements; Fig. 2 is a sectional end elevation clearly showing the needles on the right-hand side of the drawing in an inoperative position, and before engagement by a projection on the widening chain for forcing the needles into operative position, the section being taken on a line transversely of the machine through the needle bed thereof. Fig. 5 is a detailed end elevation showing the means on the driving end for advancing the widening chain in a step-by-step manner; also the means for tor-king and unlockin the pawl-plate that affects the operation of the widening chain. Fig. elis a detail side elevation of the driving end of the machine showing one of the \videning belts and the means by which it is opeinted, in a step-by-step manner, from the main driveshaft.

deferring to the drawings in detail, a designates the frame of the machine; 7) the necdle-bed which is permanently secured to the framework of the machine; 0 the reciprocating carriage as a whole, which causes the operation of the needles in the usual manner in the act of knitting.

The reciprocating needles are designated by the letter (Z and are provided at their lower ends with a curved portion a and a curved end-piece e 7' designates a reciprocating U-shaped member which I term a spring-needle stop that is mounted on the needle-bed. b, the upper end of which, as designated at g, engages and overlaps the curved end portion 6 at the lower end of the needles d, and prevents the portion of the needle rising from the seat and being broken by the needle-- cam on the carriage c. The U-shaped member or needle-stop is moved from the dotted line position f (see Fig. 2) to the full line position by means of the projections it that are mounted on the rods 71, z of the widening chain which are carried by the links of the chain j, y and are driven by means of the sprocket-wheels is that are mounted on the ends of the longitudinal shafts m which ex tend. from each end of the machine to a heat ing located about midway of the length of the frame a Two sets of these widening chains are provided on opposite sides of the machine, as shown.

The chains and the number of the projections it on the rods 7) determine the width of the garment that is being knitted. It will be observed that the projections 72. on the rods 71 are arranged in the path of the U shaped needle-stops f and that the arrange ment of these projections is such as to effect the movement of the needles successively to bring them into operative engagement with the usual needle cams c on the under side of the reciprocating carriage a so that the gar ment which is being knitted is gradually widened in an automatic manner.

Mounted on the outer ends of the shafts m are ratchets 0; and also mounted back of these ratchets and loosely on the shafts m are the idler ratchets or toothed wheels 7), the purpose of which is to permit the pawls {I that are pivoted to the reciprocating pawlplate 1 at the point 8 to pass above the point of one tooth of the ratchets 0 and drop into the next tooth, as will be fully described in the operation of the machine. The pawlplate 9' is mounted for reciprocation on the frame of the machine and is normally held toward the right, as shown in Fig. 3, by means of the compression spring 6 which encircles an extension at of the pawl-plate r. The spring t engages, at its free ends, the framework (1 and the plate 1 respectively. It is to be understood. that a corresponding pawl-plate r is mounted on the frame a at the opposite end of the machine.

Onthe reciprocating carriage is a cam part '0 that engages a second cam part to integral with the pawl-plate 1" so that during the reciprocating movements of the carriage c the pawl plate 1' will be moved in one direction against the tension of the spring 1 and in the opposite direction by the spring a. This operation causes one of the pawls g at one end of the machine to actuate one of the chain-widening shafts m, and the other pawl on the same end of the machine to simultaneously pass over a tooth of the oppositely disposed ratchet 0 on the same end of the machine; as, for example, on reference r to Fig. 3, the ratchet 0 at the right-hand side of the figure will, when the cams o and to engage, be pulled by the right-hand. pawl Q toward the left, as shown by the arrow 0 on the right-hand ratchet-wheel 0, while the pawl Q at the left of the figure will simply rotate the idlerratchet 2, without turning the left-hand ratchet-wheel. On the next movement of the pawl-plate r, the opposite ratchet-wheel 0 will be rotated and the first one will remain idle, and when the spring t returns, the pawl-plate r and the pawl (1 at the right will be carried over one tooth so that instead of engaging the next tooth it will drop onto the elevated portion of the idler ratchet 7).

Springs 00 are secured to the pawl-plate r and rest at their free ends on the pawls Q and are for the purpose of holding the pawls constantly in engagement with the ratchets 0 and idler ratchets 7). The pawl-plate r is provided with longitudinal slots 2 through which pass the shaft m and are for the pur pose of permitting the reciprocation of the pawl-plate r.

2 designates a lever that is pivoted to the side of the machine at 3 and has its free end in engagement with an arm at which is secured to the trip shaft 5 and is normally spring-retained in an elevated position that the end of the arm 4 engages a recess 6 in the lower edge of the pawl-plate r. The trip shaft- 5 is provided with a spring 7 which is for the purpose of normally holding the free end of the arm 4 elevated and up into the recess (3. The arm t overlies a second arm 8 which is pivotally mounted on a pin S) located on the end of the machine. The arm 8 engages a notch r in the lower edge of the pawl-plate 1 thereby locking the same against reciprocation, when the spring t is compressed.

hen the lever 2 is operated by means of the high links 10 on the pattern chain 11, the arm 4: will be depressed which, in turn, will depress the arm 8 unlocking the pawlplate 1*, whereby the cams v and 10 can then move the plate 7" in the manner hereinbefore described. The trip shaft 5 extends the entire length of the machine and carries at its opposite end a second arm identical with the arm 4 which, in turn, operates a locking arm identical with the arm 8.

Itshould be stated that the pawl-plates '1- on the opposite ends of the machine are reciprocated alternately by means of the cams v and 20 so that the projections ii on the rods 1' will move the needles (Z into operative position, first on one side of the machine and then on the other, starting from near the middle portion of the machine, for effecting the automatic widening of the garment as the knitting operation is carried along.

The shafts 7' and flanges j serve the pur pose of constantly maintaining the widening chain in a vertical and weighted position. The needle cams c on the under side of the carriage c operate in the usual manner to operate the needles (Z after the same have been elevated by the projections h on the links 2' of the widening chain.

This invention permits the use of the regular needle without any modification.

It will be understood that the needle-bed 7) is elevated above the main framework a of the machine. This construction enables the operator, in making repairs and effecting adjustments, to have ready access to the under part of the needle-bed.

hat I claim, is

1. In a knitting machine, the combination with a needle-bed, needles mounted for reciprocating movements therein, a carriage, a trans\"ersely arranged pawl-plate, means on the carriage for moving the plate in one direction, resilient means for returning the plate to its first position, a widening chain for actuating the needles, and means carried by the pawl-plate for actuating the widenin chain.

2. A widening mechanism for knitting machines having in coml'iination with the needlebed and needles thereof, a trip-shaft. a pawl-plate, moans interposed between the trip-shaft and pawl-plate for locking said pawlplate, means actuated from the pattern-chain for releasing the pawl-plate, a widening chain for actuating the needles, and means carried by the pawl-plate for actuating the widening chain.

CHARLES H. USHER. ,Vitnesses K. I. CLmroNs, H. V. Bownx. 

